Keep Customers Engaged 

Everyone is looking for something new to do right now, and odds are they are spending far too much of their day on social media. Take advantage of that. Start a competition and ask people to submit new food or drink items by tagging the restaurant/bar and sharing with friends and family. Keep submissions open for a duration of time and then bring it to a vote. Let the winner or top 3 items make it onto the menu. This is a way to make people personally invested in your business. Think Cheers, you want your customers saying that is our spot. Just like Norm, you can let your customers be a fixture of the business by involving them in competitions such as this. People still know Cheers right?

Incentivize Your Customers

If there is something of value in it for your customers, they are more likely to participate in whatever it is you are doing. Host a 50/50 raffle where the winner takes 50% and the remaining 50% goes to the staff. Silent auction for things like hosting special events, gift cards, apparel. Start a rewards promotion for take-out and delivery during the lockdown. If someone buys 5-10 meals they earn a free one or maybe they earn some free apparel.

Regain Your “Busy Time of the Month”

No Saint Patrick’s Day, no March Madness, No Easter. That is unfortunate for you and for your customers as well. Regain these money making days by hosting themed nights when your venue reopens its doors to the public. If you are a Sports Bar, why not host a March Madness weekend. Show some awesome old tournament games (2010 Butler vs Duke, 2016 Villanova vs UNC), and maybe host some sort of tournament of your own (darts, cornhole, etc).

“Stick” Together

In one of his timeless fables, Aesop states that, like a bundle of sticks, individually you can be overcome, but together, you are invincible. In times like this, Aesop was more right than ever. Union gives strength. Support each other in your local town or city. Form a bar crawl and cross promote each other once doors reopen. You can bring in specialty foods, food trucks, and/or beer distributors. Sponsor a local festival or crawl that people can pay a flat rate and the proceeds get disbursed among the participating locations. 

Bottom line, you must turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Use this unprecedented time to get creative and think of ways to enhance your business that you would have never thought of before. Goodluck to you all, we will get through this together.

Written By: Brennan Smith & Lars Kristiansen